This invention generally relates to a new and unique seat and seat cover containing an adjustable air bladder system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bicycle seat and seat cover that includes an adjustable air bladder system that at least includes an integrated pumping mechanism that allows the seat to be adjusted before riding or during a ride; an air bladder with a contoured profile shape designed to lift the rider in selective areas so as to relieve pressure on other sensitive areas and simply to alter the contact points of the rider to the seat. Over time, any contact points may begin to be painful; an air bladder beneath a layer of gel or molded gel, or encapsulated within gel or any other cushioning material.
There have been attempts in the prior art to make seats as light and comfortable as possible. This is particularly true with bicycle seats due to the nature and use of these types of seats. The prior art includes numerous attempts to make a bicycle seat that is both very light as well as very comfortable. The comfort of the seat is both a function of its shape and of the materials of which it is made. Often there can be conflict between adding shock absorbing materials such as gels and reducing the seat weight. The lightest seats tend to offer the rider much less cushioning. Also, many times a seat that is very comfortable for a shorter ride becomes quite uncomfortable for a much longer ride due to long term pressure on the same contact points between the seat and rider. In general, there is a balance between the cushioning of a bicycle seat and its performance. If a bicycle seat has too much cushion, performance, such as for racing and touring, suffers because a) the seat is generally very heavy and; b) the seat can absorb energy from the rider bouncing; c) the seat is not as sleek in configuration and can restrict movement required for competitive pedaling motion and can also cause chaffing and; and d) a seat that has too much cushion make the rider bounce too much and makes it more difficult for to control the bicycle this is of critical importance during racing, for example. In addition, there is an aesthetic issue where if the seat does not look sleek the riders will not want it on their bicycle.
More specifically, most conventional bicycle saddles provide a low degree of comfort, especially for the novice or occasional bicycle rider who assumes an upright position. These conventional bicycle saddles generally are rigid in order to provide the necessary support, and are narrowed towards the front, to accommodate the upward and downward pumping action of the legs and to minimize friction between the legs and saddle, producing a hard, narrow ridge upon which a portion of the rider's weight usually rests. Saddles designed for racing or touring are particularly hard and narrow. Although these saddles typically are used in conjunction with drop handle bars in which the weight of the cyclist is shifted toward, much of the weight of the cyclist still rests on the saddle and is focused on relatively small contact points. Soreness often results, especially for the novice bicyclist and even for the experienced bicyclist after long periods of riding. This is due to the long term focused pressure on the same small contact points. This soreness is often aggravated by poor road maintenance, the nearly vertical orientation of the saddle post and rough condition on poorly paved, cobbled, or brick roads.
Nonracing bicycles are often provided with wide, soft saddles having coil springs. These saddles are comfortable for novices and for short journeys, because of the greater weight of the saddle, and because of the width of the saddle which causes painful friction with the thighs, such saddles are unsuitable for racing conditions and for long journeys. Much of the support is provided by the edges and the forward, narrower portion of the seat where the cushioning effect of the springs is least. Springs of these saddles are prone to corrosion which is enhanced by the water-absorbing nature of the upholstery. Most bicycle saddles currently available for the general public are a compromise between the hard racing saddles and the wider spring cushion saddles previously described and have many of the problems associated with each.
Thus, there have been many attempts to address comfort in the higher performance racing seats without reducing the performance thereof. For example, much of the prior art involves novel methods of using low durometer gels and foamed plastics. These materials are used in countless designs and methods. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,607, issued to Landi, discloses an ergonomic bicycle seat having a first layer of conventional foam padding and a second layer of thermoplastic elastomeric honeycomb padding. U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,076, issued to Chiarella, discloses an anatomical multilayer bicycle seat including an encapsulated gel layer. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,915, issued to Flager, describes a bicycle seat which distributes the weight of the rider.
The prior art also has shown a number of attempts to utilize an inflatable air chamber as a means of cushioning the rider from shock. An air chamber has the advantage of providing a high degree of cushioning with a low amount of add-on weight to the bicycle. In addition, an inflatable air chamber allows the rider to adjust the firmness of the seat to their personal taste. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,548, issued to Cole, discloses a design for a bicycle seat with an inflatable interior for protecting the genital area of the bicyclist. U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,277, issued to Rioux, describes an air bladder assembly that can be added to the top of an existing seat construction.
Therefore, there is a need for a seat, for use on a bicycle, that provides for the adjustable comfort of an air bladder, and allows for the shape and firmness of the seat to be customized and altered during the ride. There is also a need for such a seat to be light in weight and sleek and suitable for high performance use, and yet still be comfortable and adjustable to suit the rider over long periods of riding.